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Difficulty: MediumGeneral Breakdown Procedures and Warning Devices

If an unavoidable mechanical failure brings your car to a complete stop in a live running lane on an all-lane running smart motorway, and you cannot safely exit onto a verge, which procedure should you follow?

  1. A
    Exit the vehicle immediately and place an advance warning triangle 45 metres upstream in the live lane
  2. Switch on hazard warning lights, stay inside the vehicle with seatbelts fastened, and dial 999 immediatelyAnswer
  3. C
    Switch off all exterior lighting to conserve the battery while waiting for highway maintenance patrols
  4. D
    Stand on the live carriageway directly behind the vehicle to manually wave approaching traffic into adjacent lanes

Answer

Switch on hazard warning lights, stay inside the vehicle with seatbelts fastened, and dial 999 immediately
When a vehicle is stranded in a live running lane and occupants cannot safely reach a verge or refuge area, the safest action under the Highway Code is to keep hazard warning lights on, stay inside the vehicle with seatbelts fastened, and call 999 immediately so that the lane can be closed with overhead gantry signals.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Activate the vehicle hazard warning lights immediately
Approaching drivers behind are given prompt visual warning of a stationary obstruction ahead
Hazard warning lights are the primary in-vehicle warning device to alert high-speed traffic to an unexpected blockage
2
Remain seated inside the vehicle with all occupants keeping their seatbelts securely fastened
Occupants are shielded by the vehicle safety cell and restraint systems against potential rear-end impacts
Walking or standing in a live motorway lane carries a fatal risk of being struck by approaching vehicles
3
Call emergency services on 999 as soon as it is safe to do so
Regional control centres can activate red 'X' lane closure signs on overhead gantries and dispatch traffic officers
Emergency operators need to close the blocked lane immediately to protect the stranded motorists

Key Concept

Emergency breakdown protocol when trapped in a live motorway running lane
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

General Breakdown Procedures and Warning Devices

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